Common Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before Booking

We’ve gathered a list of common questions to ask your wedding photographer before booking them. The goal of this is to spark conversation not to drill them like a job interview. Asking all of these questions will certainly scare them away. We suggest grabbing your top 5 questions from this list and just have them ready in the back of your mind as you prepare to meet with them (on the phone or in person). Keep in mind most photographers might want to ask you a bunch of questions or even lead the conversation. So go into it with an no agenda other than to see if you think it’s a good fit.

Common Questions To Ask Your Wedding Photographer?

Are you available for my wedding date?

What is your price range?

What is your photography style like?

How would you explain your working style on the wedding day?

What does a typical wedding day timeline look like for you?

Have you shot a wedding like mine before?

Have you shot at my venue?

Have you worked with my planner before?

How long have you been a professional wedding photographer?

Is this your full-time job?

How many weddings have you photographed?

How many weddings do you shoot a year?

How many other weddings will you shoot in a weekend?

Do you shoot Digital or Film or both?

What kind of photography gear do you use?

Do you have insurance?

How many hours of coverage do your recommend?

Do you think an assistant or second shooter is needed?

How many images should we expect to receive?

Will the images be in high-resolution?

Can you send me samples of full client galleries?

Will all the photos be edited?

What does your editing process look like?

Do you offer any additional retouching or editing requests?

How will the images be delivered to me?

Will the images have watermarks on them?

Will we have the rights to the images?

How long after the wedding should we expect the photos to be ready?

What happens if you’re ill on the wedding day?

Do you have backup associate photographers available?

Do you bring your own lighting equipment?

How comfortable are you in low light situations?

Do you have backup gear in case something breaks?

How do you backup the photos after the wedding?

What is the deposit or payment plan look like?

What do your cancellation policies look like?

Will a contract of services be provided?

Will you be the official photographer for our wedding?

Do you offer videography or know of any videographers that you like to work with?

Do you recommend that we meet in person before the wedding?

What are your standard or popular wedding packages like?

Are we able to customize or add-on items to a package?

Do you offer prints or albums?

Do you recommend that we do an engagement session?

Do you recommend that we do a first look?

What does your team typically wear at weddings?

Do you require a shot list or work better without one?

Will there be any additional expenses such as travel or accommodations?

Tips Before Hiring a Wedding Photographer

Reviews – Don’t just look at star ratings. Read what people are actually saying from multiple review sites especially those you find on your own. Let their clients be the ones to give you insight as to how they work. After reading from several different photographers you can tell which are real or fake.

Price – Asking this question up front will save you and the photographer a lot of time. You don’t want to be meeting with them if you can’t afford their services. At the same time, you don’t want to disqualify them if their packages don’t include what you’re expecting. A starting price or range is all you really need to know before jumping on a phone call or meeting in person. Too many people get caught up in the pricing details too early before ever taking the time to understand the real value a photographer can bring to their wedding day. Remember you’re choosing an artist who’s work you love.

Personality – Jump on a call to make sure you get along and enjoy their personality. The last thing you want is some weirdo following you around all day while your trying to have a good time. Wanting to avoid your photographer won’t make for great photos.

Galleries – We only looked at their best portfolio work and instead of full galleries from real clients. Ask to see full galleries from real weddings to get an idea of what a normal wedding will look like. Photographers shoot a lot and are able to only showcase their best in a way that might not be accurate to what

Experience – So often photographers can put up a site and make an appearance like they’ve been doing this forever but the vast majority of photographers haven’t been doing it very long. Choose someone who has years of experience and will give you the confidence you’re looking for to get the job done professionally.

Style – Make sure their style matches what you’re looking for. It always helps to have them explain to you their photography style and how they get their shots to ensure it’s in-line with what you want. Sometimes couples prefer to not do any posing or acting because it makes them feel uncomfortable. Others really love hands on direction because they need all the help they can get. You can’t always pick this up just by looking at their work. Having them explain to you their approach will give you a better idea of what your wedding day will look like.